A push to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth collapsed after a procedural House vote sent it to committee, effectively killing it — bad news for accountability advocates, good news for Hegseth and the White House.

• The House voted 211-204 to bury Congressman Thomas Massie's impeachment resolution against Hegseth in committee, where it will die before this Congress ends.
• Eleven Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, simply didn't vote, which was enough to let the measure pass and sink the impeachment push.
• The resolution stemmed from Hegseth's role overseeing strikes in Iran and deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean, along with his purge of military leadership.
• Trump and Vice President JD Vance both publicly defended Hegseth, with Trump calling it an exoneration; some Republicans who otherwise criticized the Iran war, like Don Bacon, also voted against impeachment.
• Critics argue both parties' leadership answer to the same pro-Israel donor pressure, which explains the unusual bipartisan effort to protect Hegseth.

Outlook: With the impeachment effort dead, Hegseth stays in place with no sign Congress will revisit the matter before this term ends.